


Binary System

by SandrC



Series: Not Another Fanfiction Collection [10]
Category: Not Another D&D Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beverly says several swears, Confessions, Everyone Has Issues, Gender Identity, Hardwon actually consents to kidnapping this time, Jailbreaks bring people together, Panic Attacks, Ride AND Die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 03:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18983866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandrC/pseuds/SandrC
Summary: (n) A star system containing two stars orbiting around each other.Or: Beverly tries to keep his school friends and his teen friends seperate. Not for malicious reasons, but because he likes compartmentalizing his life.That won't last forever.





	Binary System

**Author's Note:**

> Going back and editing all my works coz I misspelled everyone's names consistently is one fuck of a mood but here I am.
> 
> Edited on Nov. 27, 2019, at ass o' clock am, EST coz I'm a dumbass with a nocturnal work schedule.

Beverly wasn't a braggadocious kid. He was head of his Green Teen troop, _sure_ , but he didn't let it get to his head. He was an Honor Roll student with perfect attendance but he didn't hold it above others. His nuclear family lived in a pretty decent gated neighborhood but he wasn't a right shit. He was the perfect model of a modern middle-class citizen. He just didn't make anything of it.

Of course, not _everyone_ knew that.

For instance: Hardwon and Moonshine don't necessarily know much about his life outside of tutoring and the odd bit of gossip. They don't know that his mom is a housewife or that his parents make enough to keep the house and afford the odd luxury item, but not much more than that. They don't even know that he has a life or friends outside of the two or so hours they see him.

 _Conversely_ , his school friends know _most_ everything about him save for Hardwon and Moonshine. For all they know, he heads to Galaderon High for tutoring with Denny “neighbor guy's son” Pebblepot every Thursday and _that's it._

And, as much as it might bother him, Beverly wants to keep it that way.

He likes his life in two distinct circles. It makes it manageable, which version of Beverly he can be. If it's Thursday, then he's more loose and free and likely to curse. He doesn't feel as bad about wanting to kiss guys or calling people out on their shit. Any other day and he's the Very Good Boy who does his homework and doesn't say anything when he notices Jeremiah getting slammed into a locker _even if he wants to._

But he fucked up. _Big time._

Coz he told Mister Edmund to stop being such a craven dick. That he was being a _bully_ and a _liar_. That he knew _damn_ well that Durlin had done his homework himself and insinuating otherwise was _stupid_ and _fake_ and _he should be ashamed._

Verbatim. Swears included.

And _now_ he was in detention after school. _On a Thursday._ Because he couldn't keep his selves separate. He couldn't keep his mouth shut when he needed to. Because he didn't understand that adults don't take too kindly to the kind of things Moonshine and Hardwon like. Because _he forgot his place._

So Beverly Toegold V was having a full-blown panic attack in an almost empty classroom when he should be at Galaderon High with the two friends whose habits got him into trouble today. ( _No, Bev, that's a lie though_ , a part of him said with a small sense of self-satisfaction. _You always wanted to be a hero and now here you are, the hero in jail. This is what you get and you can't blame it on anyone else._ He opted to ignore that part of himself. It was easily drowned out by his own horrified heartbeat.)

His breath quickened, shallow and fast. The room swayed back and forth. He thought he heard the teacher call his name, ask if he was okay. Was he okay? No, _no_ , he had to be dying. He _was_ dying and _no one would help him_ because he was a bad kid, a bad son, a bad student. He was _bad_ and _no one_ should care if he disappeared or died coz then he'd be bad _and_ a burden and that's _worse_ somehow.

The teacher stood up to step towards him — was he gonna _help_ or _hurt_ — but he stopped as a loud noise rang out behind Beverly, drawing both their attentions to the door at the rear of the classroom. The door that had been kicked open.

“Hey Bev! We've come to save you!” Hardwon yelled.

And, after that, there was a very confused, out of breath addition of, “Hey, _uh_ , I get you care for Beverly and all but...I think you could get arrested if you break stuff here.”

Well, there went his hope of keeping his two worlds separate. Coz that was Hardwon and also Cran. The cavalry was here. His heart hammered harder.

“ _Shit_.”

* * *

Moonshine was panicking.

“He's _never_ late though,” she said, PawPaw being pet hard enough that his eyes bugged out with each frantic stroke. Moonshine paced around Hardwon, who was relaxing against the side of the library of Galaderon High like nothing was wrong.

“ _Sometimes_ ,” Hardwon drawled, “people are _late_ and that just _happens_.” He, too, was worried, but his worry was more subdued than Moonshine's own obvious panic.

“Denny went to go smoke early,” she pointed out.

“ _Denny_ is a bitch. Not the _good_ kind, either,” he replied. Moonshine glared at him. He stared back, un-moved. This persisted for several more moments of pacing, PawPaw squeaking in time with her tenuous petting. Eventually Hardwon relented. “Wanna go find him?”

“ _Yes_.”

Hardwon hopped to his feet by rolling back and then forward on his hips, strong calves not even quivering as his torn up Vans slapped against the dirt beneath him. A small cloud of dust puffed around him, reaching their apex at the low points of his ankles but settled in the top parts of his low cut socks. He grimaced and stretched. “You know where the Prep school is?”

Moonshine paused. She made a pensive face. She swore under her breath. “ _Yes?_ ” She lied.

Hardwon rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, “Good thing _Google Maps_ exists then.” After a quick second of Googling, his phone chirped to life, demanding him to head up the street. “ _Shall we?_ ”

Anxiously they went into the harsh midday heat to rescue their smartboy.

* * *

Erlin, Cran, and Durlin were _gobsmacked_. It was _very_ unlike Beverly to speak out of line, _especially_ in such an aggressive matter. Also: _since when_ did Beverly know swear words like _that_?

So while he was serving detention after school, the three of them sat out front and convened. _What_ was wrong with Beverly?

“You think something is up with his dad?” Durlin asked. Cran sucked air through her teeth and tried to surreptitiously catch a glimpse of Erlin.

He was stone-faced in thought. He didn't seem to have heard what Durlin suggested. He just chewed on the second knuckle of his index finger as he contemplated and reviewed the day.

It's not like Mr. Edmund didn't _deserve_ it. He was, if they _had_ to use swears, a right _tool_. Not only did he play favorites, but he played _least_ favorites too. And, to add insult to injury, the principal was his sister, so they couldn't just report him in the same way that one would report any other corrupt person in the school system. He was _invincible_!

But also, Beverly usually turned the other cheek. It was one of the tenants of Pelor that he threw himself into wholeheartedly, _despite_ how little it paid off. Even if it meant taking the proverbial blow for others, Beverly _rarely_ fought back. So this...was upsetting, to say the least.

While Erlin worried away at his knuckle, deep in thought, Cran and Durlin continued to gently bicker and throw around ideas.

"I mean, I know I don't _always_ have the homework and I'm not the _smartest_ , but did he have to call me out and embarrass me like that?"

Cran rolled her eyes. "Better that than his usual target of ' _Mister_ Cran, please return to your seat and _stop_ fraternizing with Mister Durlin'." She pitched her voice to imitate Edmund's low, slow, Snape-like drawl. She sneered in disgust. So did Durlin.

"Okay, that stuff aside, _Beverly_ _though_! I didn't know he _knew_ words like that!" Durlin steered the conversation away from that elephant, weaving back to _what the actual heck happened with Beverly_.

"I mean, he likes reading and all. He spends a _lot_ of time over at the High School, so I'm _sure_ someone has said those around him," Cran offered.

"Those are, like, _stage four_ swears though. Unless someone has a _very_ dirty pottymouth, I doubt they'd just 'slip out'."

Erlin stopped gnawing on his knuckles, something occurring to him. " _Guys_."

" _Hm_?" Both Cran and Durlin looked at him as he stood up and turned to face them, eyes wide in realization.

"It's not his family, I _know_ that. Mister B is doing fine and so is Missus Toegold. It _can't_ be stuff here, coz nothing has changed. It _can't_ be Green Teen stuff either, so it _has_ to be something with tutoring!" It all made sense. He hadn't been acting strange until he started attending tutoring at the High School! So _that's_ the issue!

"You _really_ think—?" Cran started.

Durlin interrupted, eyes wide with realization as well, "No, _no_! You said it _too_! _He probably learned those words at the High School!_ So he probably _is_ having issues _or_ something there too! _That's_ why he bit Mister Edmund's head off!"

"So now he's sitting in detention, worried out of his mind—" Erlin was beginning to piece things together, even as his panic ramped up.

"—and _who knows_ what his dad's gonna think when the school calls him—" Durlin added.

Cran elbowed Durlin in the ribs to shut him up and continued, "—we gotta keep Mister B busy when he stops by."

" _You think?_ "

Cran flatly stared at Erlin, eyes quietly telling him to _calm down_. "Stop Mister B from going in until detention is up so Beverly has the chance to get his jelly un-jammed."

"Sounds solid," Durlin nodded. Erlan gnawed on his knuckle some more, thinking. Then he nodded. The three of them put their hands together and gave a bright and happy Green Teen cheer. It was forced, for sure, but the thought counts.

As they readied to be the bastion against Mister B and _maybe_ also Missus Toegold, a loud string of complaining drifted up the bus lane. It was faint at first, then less so.

It also was filled with some _very_ familiar swears.

"Next time we decide to break into a fucking school, we're taking public transit. My feet hate me and I hate _you_."

"Maps said _this_ was the fastest way! Also: do you have cash you haven't spent on weed yet?" A beat of silence. A snarky laugh, one note, an insincere barking noise. "Then don't be such a pussy about it!"

"How is it that _you're_ barefoot and _I'm_ bleeding out my damn heels?"

"Years of practice, Surefoot. Also livin' near holly bushes. Them fucker's are a _minefield_ of natural caltrops."

Erlin looked at Cran. Cran looked at Durlin. Durlin looked at Erlin. All three of them were confused, but they remained silent and unmoving.

" _Yeah_ , yeah," there was a heavy sigh as the bodies belonging to the voices crested the hill. "God _damn_ this is a fancy-ass school though."

Coming up the bus lane were two folks, both teen-aged. One was tall and scraggly, with an unkempt beard and a pair of aviator goggles resting on their forehead, which was matted with sweat. That was _probably_ the complainer. The other was also tall and scraggly—though much more of a 'by choice' unkempt instead of the other teen's 'walked several miles in the heat' unkempt—wearing a pair of overalls that seemed to barely contain their chest in addition to a wiggly possum nestled betwixt them.

Overall, this was a _wild_ looking pair.

The overalls one sucked their teeth and shaded their eyes, squinting up the hill at Galaderon Prep. "Oh _hey_! Looks like we've arrived at our destination" The phone in their grip echoed that statement and they flashed their friend a smug smile, showing off a gap between their front teeth. " _Eat me_ , Surefoot."

"Eat _shit_ , Cybin," the bearded one gasped. They stopped moving and placed their hands in the small of their back, leaning over their clenched fists with a pleased groan. " _Holy dicks_ that feels better! _Okay_. Game plan?"

"Ask the younguns there? See if _they_ know what happened?" Overalls teen gestured at Erlin, Cran, and Durlin, who stiffened in surprise.

Beard teen raised an eyebrow and nodded their head at the three kids. "We're _breaking in_ and you wanna ask some _babies_ where Bev is?" When their friend said nothing, they sighed and rolled their eyes. " _Your funeral_."

When the bearded teen mentioned a 'Bev', Erlin let out a squeak and almost ran forward. It was only by Cran's steady hand in his way that he remained in place, waiting for the intruders to come to them.

Overalls teen dashed, full-tilt, at the three friends as their friend jogged to keep up with them, looking like they were gonna pass out. When they arrived, grin wide, eyes shining, they laughed and stuck out their hand in greeting. " _Hi there_! Name's Moonshine Cybin and I'm lookin' for someone!"

" _We_ ," gasped Moonshine's friend. " _We_ are looking for someone. Don't forget me."

"An' that's Hardwon," Moonshine said, jerking their thumb at their almost prone friend. "Don't mind him though. We walked a _measly_ five miles and he's already winded, the _baby_. No offense."

" _Hhh_."

Cran stared at Moonshine and Hardwon, eyes narrow slits. Of the three of them, she was, _she_ considered, the _best_ at character judgement. Durlin, bless him, trusted too easily. Erlin was too anxious to really bother with people on most days. Beverly, while a decent judge of character, _wasn't there right now_. So she had to be the person to make this decision.

Moonshine, despite their wild, almost feral appearance, was at least _genuine_. They were easy to read from where she stood and what they were giving off was nervous energy and concern. They were worried about someone. Worried enough to quote-unquote 'break into a fancy school'.

Hardwon, on the other hand, seemed more closed-off. Despite being worn out, his eyes continued to search the school behind Cran, Erlin, and Durlin as well as the three of them, looking for something. _Anything_. It was too close to Cran herself, honestly. Unnerving.

But there was nothing there that screamed at Cran to _not_ trust Moonshine and Hardwon. Nothing that made her worry that they meant ill. So she stepped forward, casual, fake as all get-out, and _smiled_.

It wasn't much of a smile. She's certain Hardwon could tell it isn’t much of a smile. He seemed like the type to know smiles like those.

“Who’re you looking for? Also, _why_ should we _not_ just call the cops? Bunch of teens trying to break into a school? Seems _suspect_ , if you ask me.” Hardwon, from his doubled-over position, _snorted_.

She decided then that she liked him best, if she had to pick favorites.

"Lil smart kid, bout _yea_ -high," Moonshine held a hand out to about their navel, "curly hair and braces. He was _s'posed_ to be over at the High School but he didn't show up." A hint of panic leaked into their voice.

Hardwon snorted again as he stood up to his full height. He gestured at Moonshine with one hand. " _She_ thinks something bad happened. _I_ figure he just got held up or something. I'd put money on it but...I'm broke right now so I _can't_."

Before the three of them could convene and figure out _how the heck_ Beverly knew these teens and _why_ _the heck_ he never mentioned them, Durlin just blurted out, " _Oh_ , you're looking for Beverly?"

Moonshine jolted and lasered her focus on him. " _Y'all_ know Bev?!"

They exchanged a look. Did he not think they were worth mentioning to the High School kids he hung out with? Erlin slowly nodded, knuckle already back in his mouth.

" _Thank fucking Melora!_ " Moonshine beamed. "At least he's okay… _right_?"

"I _mean_ —," Durlin began.

"He's in detention right now," Cran finished.

Erlin seemed too deep in thought and too overstimulated to communicate. That was fair. He'd _just_ learned that Beverly had teen friends he hadn't talked about and also never mentioned the three of them to said teen friends. It _kinda_ hurt, to be honest.

Were they _not good enough_?

Was he _embarrassed_ of them?

_What did he do wrong?_

"Take us to him," Hardwon said. His face was steel and determination.

" _Why_?" Even if Cran trusted him, it didn't mean she was keen on just letting some random stranger-adjacent folks into her school for no reason at all.

"Two words kid: _jailbreak_."

* * *

Beverly was _dead_. He was dead and _in hell_ and it was _all_ because he was a liar.

 _Why else_ would Moonshine, Hardwon, Erlin, Cran, and Durlin have broken down the door to the classroom he was serving detention in? _Why else_ would they know each other _even after_ he tried to not let his lives mix? _Why else_ would he have spent a _hundred_ years in detention and only fifteen minutes had actually passed?

Answer: _he was in hell._

"I'll break what I _damn_ well please, kid!" Hardwon replied. Then he vaulted over three desks and gave Beverly a wide and wicked grin. "Hey Bev, we're here to break you out."

" _Excuse me_!" The teacher, who up to this point had been trying to reach Beverly to help him through what probably was a panic attack, called out. When Moonshine turned her sharp gaze to him he stuttered but continued. "Beverly still has forty-five minutes left before he can leave. Also, unless you're his parents, you can't take him out of the school."

"Oh don't worry," Moonshine said in a tone that made Bev _very much worry_ , "this is _our_ smartboy. We have th' paperwork and _everything_."

The teacher, confused and shifting his gaze from the intruders to Beverly and back again, frowned. "I'd have to confer with Mister or Missus Toegold before I let you take him home. It's _the law_."

" _Fuck the police_!" Moonshine screamed. She then launched PawPaw at this poor man, grabbed Bev by the hand, and ran out the door.

Behind them, Hardwon scooped PawPaw up and bolted after her. Cran, Durlin, and Erlin, who were at the doorway and looked somewhere between confused and upset, followed.

Yeah, _okay_ , Beverly was in hell and _also_ Erlin was _probably_ mad at him. _That's fine_. That's okay. _Fuck_.

" _So_ ," Moonshine said, slightly winded as she backtracked through the school to the front entrance, "your friends are a _right_ delight! When were you gonna introduce us?"

 _Never_ , his traitor brain said. "I didn't _think_ — I wasn't sure _you'd_ — I _don't_ —," his traitor mouth said.

 _Fuck_ , he thought with conviction.

"What landed _you_ in the pokey?" Hardwon asked through labored breaths. PawPaw squeaked from his arms, held like a limp ragdoll as they made their escape.

" _I—_ "

"He cussed out a teacher," Durlin helpfully supplied.

_Dammit Durlin. Think before you speak for a change!_

Beverly felt guilty for thinking that. Today was _not_ a good day for him.

"Oh _shit_ ," Hardwon laughed. "Taking after us already. Soon you'll be smoking pot in the woods and betting your allowance on poker games!"

"Hope th' teacher deserved it," Moonshine added.

"If Bev cursed him out then he _for_ -fucking- _sure_ did!" He sounded so sure of himself. Beverly's stomach curled and soured.

" _He did_ ," Durlin confirmed. His stomach soured more.

" _Nice_."

The six of them ran until they were in the woods behind Galaderon Prep, where they then collapsed against a tree to catch their breath. Hardwon passed PawPaw back to Moonshine, who placed him in her overalls and began to pet him.

 _Oh_. She had been _worried_ about him. _Oh no_.

" _So_ ," Cran said. All three of his friends were staring at him with degrees of coldness. Durlin was plain confused, eyebrows pinched tight as he tried to suss out _what_ was going on. Cran was a little more impassive and a lot more sharp and observant. Erlin was gnawing away at his already red knuckle and refusing to make eye contact.

" _So?_ " Beverly said, cautiously.

" _When_ were you gonna tell us?" Erlin asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth like polished stones, velocity slamming into him with weaponized pain. "About _them_?" He gestured to Hardwon and Moonshine, who both looked tired. "About — about _all of it?!_ "

"I _don't_ —"

"And — and don't try to like, _I don't know_ , lie to us? By omission or otherwise? Coz you — _you called Mister Edmund a "craven dick"._ You got _detention_ , Beverly, and then _these two_ come running up looking for you and I don't know _how_ they know you but they _do_ and _you know them_ but _you didn't tell us_?!" He had tears in his eyes now, already worked up. Beverly felt _so_ fucking guilty. "Do you — do you not _trust_ us or something? _Did I do something wrong?_ "

Beverly opened his mouth—

and started to _cry_.

"It's not like I _don't_ trust you," he managed to get out between blubbering sobs. _Gods_ he hated that his knee-jerk reactions to things was to break down and cry. "I _just_ — things are _hard_ and — _I don't know_ , it was just _easier_ to be different with Moonshine and Hardwon than I am with you guys and, like, I just couldn't _stop_? Coz like—," he hiccupped, "it's not like I can tell you guys stuff _like_...like I can with Hardwon and Moonshine. Like, _romance_ things and — and wanting to kiss people even though some people say it's wrong and — and I feel _so guilty_ about it _and_ —!"

He could feel their eyes on him. Five pairs of judging eyes and he was _he was **he was**_ —!

"You think we'd _judge_ you?" _God_ , Erlin sounds _so hurt_.

" _No_?" He can't even convince himself that this is true. " _I don't know_!"

They let him cry for a bit longer, slumped up against a tree in the woods outside of school, before Moonshine cleared her throat.

"What is it that you kept from _us_. Let's start _there_ , yeah? Small and simple." _Fuck_. Fucking _shit_.

"Well," he scrubbed his face with the back of his arm and snorted back phlegm, "you know my _dad_? He's a mall cop. Does security. I wish he'd say he loved me more. I don't think he really _does_. My mom stays home and takes care of the place. She says she loves me _a lot_ and I'm scared of disappointing her. I think the only thing I'm good at is pretending I'm not a mess. I'm head of my Green Teen troop but only coz I have the most patches and I think Cran would be better but they won't let her coz sexism or something and I _hate_ it. I _hate_ that I can't do anything about bullying and today I fucked up because I tried to protect Durlin and insulted the teacher who's related to the principle and also uncle to the richest kid in school and I may go to _actual jail_ for skipping out on detention." He barely breathed through the whole things and, when done, slumped in on himself.

Moonshine hummed. Then she sat down next to him and looked up at Hardwon, who joined them on the forest floor.

"And your school friends? What all did you hold from them, _aside_ from our existence and your new swear vocabulary?"

 _Oh boy_. Honesty time. _Yuck_.

"I _think_ I like boys? But that's _wrong_ according to, like, _everyone_. Moonshine and Hardwon are chill about it so it's easier to feel _less_ guilty about it but it still is _hard_. Skirts are fun to wear? _That's_ a thing? R-rated movies aren't all that fun; they're _mostly_ sex jokes and drugs and swearing. Not even the _creative_ type of swearing either. I think that I understand gender better but the longer I think about it, the more angry I get." Less painful than he thought, with less sobbing. Admitting his home life hurt more. "That's it, I _think_ …"

_Why hadn't he told them earlier?_

" _Oh_." It was like the air had been taken out of _all_ of them. Erlin, Durlin, and Cran sat down next to them, quiet. Beverly sniffled.

Moonshine pet his hair, absently humming. It was nice.

"I live in a communal home. You _know_ that, yeah?" Beverly started when Moonshine started to speak. He gave her a soft nod and she continued. "You don't feel like a person when you don't have things that really _belong_ to you. School is the one place I'm away from them so it means a fuckton to me. Also I'm bi? Boys? Gals? Non-binary pals? _Hell yeah_ , as long as there's consent. Also bras are bunk, but I think you know I feel that way."

"I'm trans," Hardwon admitted. "Not many people know that and, when they do, they get up my ass about it, but I _am_. Had to move coz of it. Also an orphan. Life sucks sometimes, Bev. Also also: super bi, though I'm _preferential_ to female-types?"

" _Speaking_ of trans," Cran said, "same hat dude." She high-fived him. It was sweet. "But _also_ I'm scared of growing up coz then I'll start developing and that _just...sucks?"_

"It _does_ ," Hardwon said, "but _maybe_ hormone blockers?"

"If we can afford it," she replied.

" _Yeah_."

"I like guys too?" Erlin spoke up. "I was always scared it would, _like_ , ruin our friendship?" His knuckle was gnawed bloody.

"No! _Never_!" Beverly denied. It hurt to hear Erlin felt that way but also...they _all_ had issues, _huh_?

Erlin sniffled and smiled. " _Good_. Good."

"I don't know if I'm a dude _but_ ," Durlin made a soft noise of confusion. "Don't know what to do about that."

" _Fuck_ yeah. Exploration of gender and sexual preferences! Learn it _young_ kiddos!" Moonshine cheered quietly.

A weight was lifted. It felt warmer and safer now that they'd confessed. It felt like... _home_.

They sat in silence for a bit before Beverly spoke up. "So, _um_ , all soul-bearing stuff aside; I think I need to get back to class before they put out a missing persons report for me."

"We... _technically_ kidnapped you?" Moonshine looked terrified. Hardwon did too.

"Yeah, _um_ , let's get you back to detention. Me and the boys can _def_ lie for you." Cran smiled and gestured with her head back towards Galaderon Prep. "And we can take the blame if Mister B comes asking."

"He _won't_ ," Bev said.

"If he _does_ though."

And _sure_ , he didn't want them to intersect before, his two worlds, but _now_? He can live with the fallout.

It's so much more interesting that way anyway.


End file.
